Big files.
Simply sent.
Your own service for big files: drop them on the window, copy a link or send it by e-mail – encrypted, with an expiry date and knowing who downloaded what. Download it, copy it to your server, done. Free, no strings attached.
- End-to-end encrypted, per transfer if you like
- You see who opened it and who downloaded
- Request files: a link others use to send to you
Your transfer is ready
3 files · 2.4 GB · expires in 7 days
- Campaign_Final.mp42.1 GB
- Poster_A1.pdf284 MB
- Photo-Selection.zip36 MB
drop/fair-island-X3uHExampleFree · on your own server
Send directly – no upload.
The files go from your browser straight into the recipient’s, like FilePizza. The server only introduces the two.
- Nothing is uploaded and nothing is stored on the server.
- Encrypted all the way, from your browser into theirs.
- With a password, several files and several recipients; a link and a QR code to pass on.
- You keep the page open until everything has arrived.
Works best when both are online at the same time. The administrator can switch “Send directly” off and set their own STUN and TURN servers.
Everything a transfer should do.
What the big providers keep behind paid tiers is simply included here.
Type size to measure
The operator sets the type size in percent, separately for the pages visitors see and for the workbench: everything, only the running text or only the headings. There is more room above the logo, and the administration folds every section open and shut.
Push notifications
Someone downloaded, uploaded or commented? You get a notification on phone or desktop, end-to-end encrypted. Chosen per device and per event.
Link or e-mail
Copy a short link or let Drop write to your recipients – with a message and a QR code.
End-to-end encryption
Encrypted in the browser, the key lives only in the link. The server never sees the files.
Who downloaded?
Every visit and every download with time and device. Recipients can be asked to confirm their address.
Expiry and release
Expiry date, password, download limit, delete after the first download, release on Monday morning.
Folders stay folders
Upload whole folders, the structure is kept. Interrupted? It continues where it stopped.
Request files
An upload-only link – for clients, photographers, print shops. With rules for size and type. The admin can block file types such as exe or bat for the whole server – on every way in.
My files
A lasting place of your own. Send from it without uploading again, and let colleagues in.
Comments with the moment
Recipients comment right in the video or audio – “clip.mp4 · 0:03”. Review without downloading.
Delivery receipt
What was handed over, with a checksum per file, who downloaded what and when – printable for the file.
From Dropbox and Nextcloud
Paste a share link – the file travels straight here, not twice through your laptop.
Passkeys and SSO
Sign in with a passkey, two-factor or your company account. Teams with roles, API tokens for scripts.
Fast uploads
One large file runs through at about 300 MB/s, the checksum is computed as it arrives. Many small files go in parallel: 4.9 instead of 11.7 seconds.
Light pages
The start page weighs 7.8 instead of 104 KB over the wire. The Docker image runs OPcache, every page is there sooner. With many transfers the administration is about twice as fast and three times lighter.
Your own colours and fonts
Your own font files (WOFF2/WOFF), a second logo for dark surfaces, logo height, and every interface colour for light and dark.
Upload animation
Four to choose from: calm ring, orbiting dots, dial or aurora. The pulsing dropzone can be switched off.
Open and auditable
Source code under AGPLv3, no third-party code, no database. Nothing running behind your back.
View only, no download
Recipients see images, PDFs, video, audio and text in the browser – but get no download button. A determined person can still save what the screen shows.
Chosen link names
Signed-in senders pick “/q3-deck” instead of a random link. The admin switches it on; it is off by default. The name can be guessed – add a password.
Text instead of a file
Write a text instead of choosing a file. It is sent as a text file and shown in the browser. With “Delete after the first download” it is gone once read. The admin can switch it off.
Replace a file
Swap a file under the same link: the link, its log and downloads stay. The old content is kept (up to 5 versions), one click goes back.
A folder on the server
A folder on the server becomes a transfer – for exports, scanners, backups. From the admin or by cron with php admin.php inbox --remove; it prints the link.
Questions on file requests
A file request can ask questions: Name*, order number … (* = required). The answers come with the files – on the download page, by e-mail and as a notification.
Single sign-on only
Sign in only through single sign-on (OIDC): password, passkeys and sign-up disappear. Scripts use API tokens. New accounts can wait until an administrator lets them in. The admin password stays as the way back in; forgotten? php admin.php password sets a new one.
LDAP and Active Directory
Sign in with the directory account, using PHP’s own ldap extension – no library. The first sign-in creates the account; an admin group is optional.
curl -T returns the link
With curl -T, line 1 is the link and line 2 is the delete link. Scripts no longer have to cut anything out.
A page anyone understands.
No app, no account, no ads between the files. Pictures, videos, PDFs and texts can be viewed before anyone downloads anything.
- Everything as one ZIP or each file on its own
- Preview for image, video, audio, PDF and text
- Your message and, if you like, your logo on top
Your own service in three steps
No build, no database, no package manager. Web space with PHP is enough.
Download
Unzip the archive and copy it to your server – or pull the Docker image.
Open the installer
Open the address in a browser: language, admin account, data folder, sender address.
Get going
Add two cron lines for the clean-up, then send. Updates later with one click.
Costs nothing. Not later either.
No licence fee, no seat count, no premium tier. Every feature on this page is in the download – for you, your team or your whole company.
Open source under AGPLv3 – read it, audit it, adapt it: gitlab.com/jensche/s42transfer
Frequently asked
Is Drop really free?
Yes. There is no paid tier, no credits and no subscription. Every feature is open to everyone, and no ads appear on your recipients' pages.
What do I need to run Drop?
PHP 8.1 or newer, Apache or nginx, and HTTPS. No database, no Composer, no Node. Or a Docker image for amd64 and arm64 – a Raspberry Pi will do.
How big can a file be?
Uploads go in chunks, four at a time, and after a dropped connection they continue where they stopped. The limit per file is shown right on the upload card.
How long are files kept?
As long as you choose when sending. After that they are deleted, not just hidden. A day before expiry Drop reminds recipients who have not downloaded yet.
Who can see my files?
Only whoever has the link – and with end-to-end encryption not even the server. A password, recipient confirmation or a list of allowed addresses narrows it further.
How do updates work?
In the admin under Settings → Update: Drop checks for new versions and installs them with one click. Your data and settings stay untouched. Or git pull, or a new Docker image.
Your own Drop in ten minutes.
Download, copy, open the installer. Free, for good.